Burnt Out
by StalkerFire
Summary: AU What happens when Peeta's family dies? Will Katniss' family take him in? Set in Hunger Games but the Hunger Games don't exsist
1. Chapter 1

Burnt Out

I just want to take this time to say please go check my other story plz :)

Chapter 1

I wake up and see Prim lying beside me. She must of had another nightmare of my father. I slip out of the bed and go get my hunting gear. I put on my father's jacket, put on game bag, and head out to meet Gale. I slip under the fence and walk to our spot. A while later Gale shows up and we start hunting. After a few hours we've caught enough game and decide to rest. We go to the meadow and lie down and think about all the wrong things in this world.

There's the fact that we never have enough food and that the that do are merchants. And that every district is ruled by President Snow. And there are so many other things that it would take me about a day to say them. But we can't say them, we can't show defiance against the Capitol or else we'll be punished. And then who take care of Prim, not my mother she would shut down like when my father died. I can't leave my sister alone, to starve. And Gale,who also has siblings doesn't care though. He always talks about the Capitol in a way that I will never be able to. But eventually Gale breaks the silence "We should run away"he says.

I stare at him wondering how he could think about that with his family depending on him to bring food to them. He notices how I'm staring at him and says"What?''in an innocent voice. ''How can you think like that?"I say to him in disbelief. He looks rather surprised my reaction"How could I not?'' he says angrily. "You have three siblings and a mother that depend on you for food!''I remind him. "Yeah, I know I'm reminded everyday that I'm the one that keeps my family alive but it wouldn't have to be if my father hadn't died along with yours in the mines!"he yells at me I get up and run across the field to fence.

I listen to see if the electricity is on and upon hearing nothing, slide under.I'm mad at Gale not just because he's thinking about leaving Hazelle and the kids but also because he brought up my father and the mine explosion. I hate remembering him because it's painful and it reminds me of all the suffering afterwards. The way my mother shut down, the hunger Prim and I had to endure because of it, and I also had to learn to hunt. I make my way across town to the Hob. I'm gonna trade some of my game and maybe eat some of Greasy Sae's soup. As I walk into the Hob I notice that some people are whispering to each other. I go over to Darius, who was eating some soup.

"What's going on?"I ask him. "Oh,they say that the baker and almost all of his family is dead"he informs me. My heart is racing."Who survived?" I say urgently. "I think the youngest son, I think his name's Peeta.'' I'm flooded with relief.''How did they die?'' ''They say a fire at the bakery, but the boy was out getting flour.'' I'm relieved that Peeta's alive, because I still remember what he did for me. That day when he threw me the bread. This means that I can still pay him back. I say goodbye to Darius and head out to the bakery. When I get there all I see is a big pile of ash. . And I also see Peeta, staring at what was once his family's bakery with tears running down his cheeks. I walk over to him.J ''Umm...Peeta." I say, nervously. He turns to face me, slowly. ''I'm really sorry." I say simply. He turns back to the ashes so I simply say goodbye to him. I turn to leave when he says"Thank you." I turn back and say "Your welcome".

Then I start toward my house, ready to tell Prim and mother the news. When I get there,both Prim and mother welcome me. We go inside and we settle in. Then I decide to tell so I say"You know, the baker and his family died today"in a casual tone. My mother is shocked and finally says"How?'' ''Fire, only the youngest son survived"I say in the same tone. I see she's shocked. "Why did you know any of them?"I ask. She recomposes herself and says"Yeah, the baker, we went to school to school together." I sense that theres more but I don't push.

I look over at Prim and see that she looks sad. I go over to her. "What's wrong Prim?"I ask her, concerned. "The baker was nice and now he's dead" I'm surprised, I didn't know Prim talked to the baker. But then again, Prim knew everyone. "Why do you think he was nice?"I ask,curiously "He used to give me two loaves of bread everytime I went to town he said to share them with you and mother.'' I don't know what to say. Why would the baker give us free bread? Why are Prim and mother so affected by this? All of these questions are swimming in my head. After Prim is asleep I lie awake in my bed thinking about all these questions that probably won't be answered. I am about to fall into sleep when I hear her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thnx for the reviews**

**Chapter 2**

**I hear my mother, praying. I can barely make out what she says"Please...heaven...good person" is all I can make out. It's a little to go on, but I know who she's talking about. . But what I don't understand is why she's praying for him. Then I remember, my mother used to be a merchant but then she ran off with my father. She probably knew and grew up with him.**

** I decide to stay quiet, I don't want to ruin her moment. After a few minutes I hear her lay down and go silent. But I can't go to sleep. I'm trying to find the answers to so many questions. Who will take Peeta in? Will someone take him in? How did the fire get started? But then I realize I probably won't find out these answers. And after an hour or two my eyelids close and fall into sleep. **

** When I wake up my mother and Prim are gone. Maybe they've gone to treat a patient. But then they would've left me a note. I go out to look for them. I walk to Gale's house. Maybe they went to visit Hazelle and the kids. When I get there I knock on the door, Posy opens the door. "Hey Posy, is my mom and Prim here?" I ask her.**

**"Yeah, they're with my mom at the reading of " She responds.**

**I'm surprised. Why would they go there? Why? **

**"Why?'' I ask her, frantically.**

**"I don't know" she says, honestly.**

**"Okay, thanks Posy'' I say, dismissing myself.**

**"Bye, Katniss" She calls out, as I walk toward town.**

** I wave at her, and continue to town. When I get to town, there is a crowd formed around a short man with a buisness suit on. I look around the crowd to find Prim and mother. I spot Prim and walk over to her. "What are you doing here Prim?'' I ask, calmly.**

**She smiles sadly, and says"We want to see who's gonna take in Peeta" **

**I manage an ''oh''. But what I'm really thinking is: Who ****is**** gonna take in Peeta? What if nobody takes him in? He's only sixteen he doesn't know how to live on his own! **

** We stand in silence for a few minutes. But then I notice that Prim's here alone. ''Where's mother?''I ask her, breaking the silence.**

**"I don't know before you got here they were right next to me maybe they got closer to the banker'' She says. **

**I'm mad at this, why would she leave Prim alone.I scan the crowd and see my mother's hair, glistening in the sunlight. "She's up in front" I announce to Prim.**

**"Let's go up there" she suggests.**

**I nod and we push through the crowd to my mother. When we get to her I'm still mad at her. I shoot an angry face at her and ask her" Why'd you leave Prim alone?"**

**She looks surprised, like she didn't even know she had left Prim alone. Ridiculous. She looks like she was about to answer when the banker starts talking. She looks at him and doesn't answer me. I bet she was planning on not answering I think in my head. But I turn my attention to the banker.**

**"Being of sound mind and in the presence of witnesses, I hereby decreath the statement as follows. To my sons I leave each 25% of my wealth and to my wife I leave 15% of my wealth and also to my childhood friend and playmate Ms. Everdeen I leave 10% and my house" What? Everyone is shocked, even my mother. "But what about his son?" someone yells. The banker grabs a different paper"If no one would be there to take care of my sons I will leave them to the following people. If it is my two oldest, please take care of them Rooba. But if it is my son Peeta, please take care of him...**

**I'm sorry I haven't updated. I was grounded :(. But please review if you want to see the end of this cliffhanger :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

''...the Everdeen family''.I'm shocked and so is everyone else. Why? Why does he trust my mother with his son? Why not all the other friends he has?" Please take him in and use the money I gave him to do so. Any questions.'' " Who gets the bakery when it's built up again?" someone in the crowd calls out. "Peeta does, he gets everything except 's money'' Wow, I scan the crowd looking for Peeta. Sure enough he stands there shocked, like the rest of us. After a while of just standing there the banker tells us to leave. Slowly, we all leave.

I go to look for Peeta. He's still where he was when I first saw him. He sees me coming. "You know you don't have to take me in, I'll be fine on my own'' I know, but you didn't have to do what you did for me. "Come on" I say. He's reluctant, but he follows. We get to Prim and mother. "Thank you, Ms. Everdeen for taking me in'' Peeta tells my mother.

My mother smiles at him "Of course, your father was a good friend of mine"

We walk in silence to our house. Now it's Peeta's house too. We go in, there is no bed for Peeta to sleep in yet. I wonder if he'll sleep on the floor. But my mom answers my question. "I think maybe you could share a bed with Katniss or Prim'' she says. No, he can't sleep in my bed with me or Prim! I'm about to object when Peeta says "No, don't worry about it I'll sleep on the floor." Thank God, I haven't even kissed a boy and my mother expected me to share a bed with one.

When it gets dark, we get ready for bed. Peeta goes into the kitchen to change. Prim, my mother, and I change into our nightgowns. I'm still mad at my mother, so I ask her "Why did you expect me to share a bed with him?"

"I didn't, I knew he was gonna sleep on the floor." she replies.

I don't understand what she means" How?" I ask, curious.

"Because, he's alot like his father" she says like it explains everything.

I don't understand her again. But I don't ask her anything else. We finish changing and call Peeta back in.

Peeta gets a blanket and a pillow and falls asleep on the floor. But I can't sleep, at all. I keep hearing the banker's words "the Everdeen family.'' I don't think Prim can sleep either because she tosses and turns. After about an hour, Prim crawls in next to me. I hug her "What's wrong, Prim?" I ask her.

"Nothing, I just can't go to sleep"

I don't push. If Prim doesn't tell you something right away it means she doesn't want after a long hour I finally fall to sleep.

**I know it's short but I wanted to get it done in time in case they took my laptop again. Well enjoy :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Pm me and review :)**

Chapter 4

I wake to a beautiful morning, birds chirping and sun streaming into my room. I'ts a great day to go hunting. I get up and immediately trip on something. Peeta. I had forgotten he was there. But he catches me, and for a brief second we lock eyes. But I get up quickly and brush it off.

"I'm sorry, I forgot" I apologize to Peeta.

"It's okay, it's gonna take some getting used to" he says.

Then we stand there, in silence. Until he asks me, "Where were you going?"

"I was going hunting'' I answer, forgetting that it's illegal to him.

"Isn't that illegal" he says, right on cue.

"I gotta find a way to feed my family" I snap.

He weighs this around in his head until he finally answers "Can I go with you, please?"

I know what he's trying to do: show my family that he's thankful. I don't need his help, and he'll probably slow me down. But I agree, because now I don't owe him anything for the walk the distance to the fence. I check to see if it's charged, it's not. Of course. I duck under the fence, swiftly. After a few moments of hesitation, Peeta finally ducks under the fence. We walk into _my _woods. Peeta, like I was once is mesmerized. But I on the other hand have gotten used to the beauty of the forest.

We walk to the tree where I hide my bow and arrows. I take it out, and put the sheath on my back. Peeta, who's never seen a bow or an arrow asks,"What is that?". He stares at it in wonder until I tell him what it is and how to use it. After a few minutes of Peeta staring at it, I guide him to another tree. I find the bow that I used to use and under a log, I find the sheath of arrows. I hand them to Peeta, and start with the same things I taught Gale. I begin by telling him what everything is called. And then I show him how to use it. I tell him to try to hit a tree, which is only 10 feet away.

After a few attempts though, Peeta eventually hits the tree. He smiles, triumphantly at me. I can't resist, so I smile back. I then, let Peeta practice before we go hunt. I feel satisfied, so we go deeper into the woods. Peeta footsteps sound loud compared to mine. But I remind myself, that it's his first time. I spot a rabbit, I shoot it right in the eye. I walk over to get it. As I bend down, I hear a growl, I turn around. A wolf is next to Peeta. About to attack. I draw my arrow and am about to shoot when it does it. It attacks Peeta. I shoot it in the head as quickly as I can. The wolf, then lies limply on top of Peeta.

I run over to Peeta, how is trembling. He has some minor cuts on his face, but he has a bite in his arm. I grab him, and help him get up. He can still walk, but I see him wince out of the corner of my eye. I hold him up, and we walk through the woods back to the Seam. It hurts him to go under the fence, but he doesn't complain. We quickly walk to the house. When we get in, Prim is shocked. She quickly goes to Peeta and sits him down. Mother comes in and asks what happened. I tell her about the incident, and she attends to Peeta. And after a few winces and cries, he's all done. I apologize to Peeta for not killing the wolf on time and he apologizes for costing me a rabbit.

But when we all go to sleep that night it seems peaceful at least for a moment.

**Sorry I didn't update. You know: school, homework, volleyball.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 3

The next morning, we all sit at our small table. My mother has made some eggs, that I took out of a bird's nest. Peeta is still exhausted from last night's attack and is still asleep. Last night I couldn't bring myself to let Peeta sleep on the floor. So instead I offered my bed to him. At first he said no, but I kept telling him that he was hurt and he shouldn't sleep on the floor.

He gave in after a while, and got in bed. I got into Prim's bed, and put the covers up to my chin. I fell asleep, but not for long. I had another nightmare, it was my father being blown to bits again. That nightmare is the one I hate the most. Because it's the one that keeps reminding me of how everything I had blew up just like my father.

I've gotten used to them, though. They no longer make me tremble, or run into Prim's bed. Although I'm still reeling from the nightmare, I put on a straight face and eat breakfast. I want to go to the market today. Mother's low on bandages, and I feel suffocated at home. I tell my mother and Prim, and head out. I walk towards the market. But as I'm walking inside, I see Gale. He's talking to one of his friends. He sees me and leaves his friend. He comes up to me "Hey Catnip, your still not mad at me, are you?" I shake my head, I don't hold a grudge for an arguement. He's happy at my answer and walks at my side.

I tell Gale about what happened last. I guess he already knew, because he didn't look look for the bandages and I get a pack of sugar, we've been low for a while. Gale buys stuff he needs for his family, and we leave. We both part ways, as we leave for our houses. When I get home, Peeta's still not up. He's usually the first one up. It's already afternoon, and Prim is waiting for him to wake up.

I bought Prim a peppermint when I was at the market. She says she doesn't want to be greedy, so she trys to break it in half. After I tell her many times how I don't want any and her failed attempts, she gives up and pops it in her mouth. We wait and wait for Peeta to wake 's four o clock and he still hasn't woken up...

Follow me on twitter FireDays for updates on my stories :)

Also sorry for not posting I've been going to school, volleyball, and basketball


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